Pubdate: Mon, 25 Apr 2016 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Page: A12 Copyright: 2016 The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456 THIS ISN'T THE BETTER WAY Randomly testing workers is unjustified since the transit commission already conducts fairly extensive screening If the Toronto Transit Commission had proof of a serious drug or alcohol problem among its staff - something putting public safety at significant risk - it would have good reason to institute mandatory screening for impairment. But that's not the case. Yet, even so, the TTC still seems bent on subjecting thousands of people to random drug and alcohol testing. CEO Andy Byford sent a letter to employees this past week notifying them that funding had been approved last month and that a screening program would proceed. It's a seriously misguided policy. As many as 10,000 people would be subject, on a random basis, to breathalyzer tests for alcohol, and mouth swab screening for drugs such as marijuana or cocaine. That would sacrifice workers' right to privacy on a grand scale, in return for minimal safety benefits. The intrusive approach is especially unjustified given that the TTC already indulges in fairly extensive screening. According to Byford, the commission has a fitness-for-duty policy that tests people for drug or alcohol impairment after a serious incident; for "reasonable cause" (such as appearing to be drunk); if they're returning from rehab; and before they're hired. This covers all drivers, maintenance staff, anyone operating heavy machinery, all managers responsible for such workers and TTC executives including Byford. The new plan calls for subjecting them to random screening as well. Despite the existing program and a staff of 14,000, the TTC has recorded just six cases of impairment at work, or refusal to take the test, so far this year. That's a tiny fraction of a large labour force. In 2015, there were 30 such cases and the year before that there were only 16. Ideally there should be none, in any Ontario workplace. The TTC is right in trying to discourage on-the-job impairment. But imposing a random screening program on thousands of innocent people is the wrong way to proceed. Byford made a point of assuring employees that the testing program will only check for impairment while at work. What people choose to do in their free time would be considered none of the TTC's business. The employer would not be told, for example, if someone on a Monday morning showed traces of having smoked marijuana on Sunday night, as long as they were no longer impaired. No doubt, management means well. But given the times in which we live - - with database leaks occurring with dismal frequency - staff can be forgiven for worrying that such private information might be shared. The way this policy has been pushed forward is hardly designed to win workers' trust. The Amalgamated Transit Union is firmly opposed and the TTC's fitness-for-duty policy has been the subject of ongoing arbitration for more than three years. Rather than waiting for a ruling, the TTC has decided to press ahead with random testing. The arbitration process is, indeed, taking too long and management's impatience is understandable. But there's no emergency here demanding immediate action. It's almost as if the transit authority is challenging the union to take this to court. But that would be a sorely misguided strategy. It would poison labour relations instead of fostering co-operation in the workplace. And a judge concerned about civil liberties and unimpressed by the meagre rationale for random testing might rule against the commission. The TTC's better course is to drop random testing and see the arbitration process through. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D